Ernie and Bert
Ernie Ernie has been one of the stars of Sesame Street since its first episode in 1969. Ernie and his best friend Bert share the basement apartment at 123 Sesame Street. Together they form a comic duo that is one of the program's centerpieces, with Ernie acting the role of the naïve trouble-maker and Bert the world-weary foil. Ernie is well known for his fondness for bubble baths with his Rubber Duckie, and for trying to learn to play the saxophone although he wouldn't "put down the duckie." Ernie is also known for keeping Bert awake at night, for reasons such as wanting to play the drums, wanting to count something (like sheep), to observe something like a blackout, or even because he is waiting for his upstairs neighbor to drop his shoes. He has a distinctive, chuckling laugh (a trait he shares with his baby cousin Ernestine). Many Ernie and Bert sketches involve Ernie wanting to play a game with Bert, who would much rather do something else (like read). Ernie keeps annoying Bert with the game until Bert joins in -- and usually, by the time Bert starts enjoying the game, Ernie is tired of playing the game and wants to do something else. Other sketches have involved them sharing some food by dividing it equally, only for one of them to have a bit more than the other, leading Ernie to make it even by eating the extra piece. Ernie has also frequently made appearances without Bert. He has regularly appeared in skits with Cookie Monster, Sherlock Hemlock and Lefty the Salesman. From season 33 until season 36, he and Big Bird starred in a daily segment called "Journey to Ernie". Starting in season 39, Ernie and Bert have appeared in animated form in the Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures segments. Play with Me Sesame Ernie was one of the hosts of Play with Me Sesame. One regular segment that he hosted was "Ernie Says", a variation of "Simon Says". Movies Ernie has appeared in both of the Sesame Street movies. In Follow That Bird, he and Bert searched for Big Bird by plane. Ernie piloted the plane, and eventually, after they found Big Bird, he flew the plane upside-down, singing "Upside Down World". However, after they lost Big Bird, Ernie blamed Bert. In The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, Ernie and Bert served as hosts. Whenever it looked like something unsettling happened, Ernie had to reassure Bert (and the audience) that nothing bad was going to happen. Ernie also appeared in the finales of The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan, in the last of which he got a line. Specials In Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, Ernie decided to buy Bert a cigar box to store his paper clips in. However, as he didn't have any money, he traded his own Rubber Duckie for it. At the same time, Bert decided to get Ernie a soap dish to put his Rubber Duckie in, so that it wouldn't keep falling into the tub, but had to trade his paper clips for it. However, Mr. Hooper could tell that neither of them really wanted to give up their prized possessions, so Mr. Hooper gave them their things back as presents. Ernie and Bert introduced a montage of Sesame Street clips in The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years. Ernie also narrated a Christmas pageant, Twas the Night Before Christmas'', in A Muppet Family Christmas. In that same special, Ernie and Bert had a conversation with Doc, making them the only Sesame Street characters (not counting Kermit the Frog) to have interacted with Doc. In Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting, he and Bert got a new video camera, and he talked Bert into using the camera to record footage of Sesame Street so that they could watch Sesame Street on television. Performing Ernie Ernie is a Live-Hand Muppet (unlike Bert, who is a Hand-Rod Muppet), meaning that while operating the head of the puppet with his right hand, the puppeteer inserts his left hand into a T-shaped sleeve, capped off with a glove that matches the fabric "skin" of the puppet, thus "becoming" the left arm of the puppet. A second puppeteer usually provides the right arm, although sometimes the right arm is simply stuffed and pinned to the puppet's chest. Other puppets of this type include Cookie Monster, Fozzie Bear, Beaker and Bunsen Honeydew. Jim Henson's last performance as Ernie was for the 1989 song "Don't Throw That Trash on the Ground".12 For a time after Henson's passing, Ernie's new appearances were limited to brief (usually silent) cameos; as in The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson, Rock & Roll!, Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake, Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years, Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!, the songs "Adventure", "Dancin' Shoes", and "Conga", and the 1992-1998 intro. Steve Whitmire began performing Ernie in 1993.3 Whitmire's first televised performance as Ernie was in the TV special Sesame Street Stays Up Late. Newly taped Ernie and Bert sketches with Whitmire performing began airing on Sesame Street in February of 1994. John Tartaglia performed Ernie for the second season of Play with Me Sesame. In a Tough Pigs interview, Tartaglia spoke of his time performing Ernie: “It was last-minute, and I’m such a huge fan of Steve’s and Jim’s, and there was all this debate about “Should it be more like Jim’s Ernie, or more like Steve’s Ernie?” and finding what worked. Billy Barkhurst performed Ernie from seasons 45 through 48and for various appearances in that time. Barkhurst had previously voiced Ernie for several stage shows including A Sesame Street Christmas. Peter Linz was cast as Ernie in 2017. Linz's first performances were the Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala and on-screen in a series of Chrysler car commercials. Perspectives on Ernie “I was fascinated with Ernie and Bert. Everything about Ernie and Bert fit with their characters. Because Ernie was chubby and had horizontal stripes. He had a soft orangy colored skin and black hair. And Bert on the other hand was rigid, and he was upright, and he has vertical stripes on his shirt and light yellow skin with really dark eyebrows. And I just thought this was amazing, to watch them work. Ernie was kind of bouncy, and fun and playful. And Bert was rigid and planted. He was always planted and had dull hobbies.” —Dave Goelz, MuppetFest December 2001 Casting History '''Primary Performers * Jim Henson - 1969 to 1990 * Steve Whitmire - 1993 to 2014 * Billy Barkhurst - 2014 to 2017 * Peter Linz - 2017 to present Other Performers * John Tartaglia - Play with Me Sesame season 2 (2003), Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala (2003), Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic (2003) Trivia * Ernie and Bert were the first Muppets to appear in the Sesame Street Pilot Episodes. In the very first, which was released on DVD as part of Old School Vol. 2, Ernie speaks with a voice closer to that of Rowlf the Dog in his first scenes, but has a voice that better resembles his first season voice in later scenes in the same pilot. Ernie's appearances in these early clips show him with more unkempt hair and a different color nose, making the early segments easy to identify when later replayed on the series. * Ernie made special appearances in two Muppet Show''episodes: episode 102 and episode 518. * In the finale of ''The Muppet Movie, Ernie was performed by Earl Kress, better known as a writer for animation. Kress recounted his experiences on the film on Muppet Central. A thread about the experience can be found here. * Ernie's favorite number has changed over the years. In Episode 0001, Ernie says that his favorite number is 2and his favorite letter is E. Shortly before then (on This Way to Sesame Street) Ernie claims that his favorite number has changed from 2 to 7; however, he may have said this to justify Bert showing the Song of Seven film. Several years later, in the song "Six", he revealed that his favorite number is 8,243,721. In the book My Name is Ernie, Ernie states his favorite number is five because there are five letters in his name. * For Sesamstrasse's 30th anniversary in 2003, Ernie and Bert appeared on a regular episode, as well as on the show's 30th anniversary TV special. Since 2006, the two are also residents on the German co-production and appear regularly in newly produced local segments. * For the 2005/2006 season, Sesamstraat moved into a new set. The scenery set was introduced in a television special, for which the American Sesame Street characters Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster and Elmo visited Holland. This occasion marked the first time that the American characters visited Sesamstraat. * Ernie lists his favorite songs as "You've Got a Friend" and "Bug the One You're With" in the Facebook spoof posted by Sesame Workshop for the 40th season. Songs : See Ernie and Bert songs See also * Ernie and Bert Sketches * Ernie Through the Years * "Bert and Ernie" vs. "Ernie and Bert" * Ernie Impersonators * Ernie's Alternate Identities * International Ernie * Ernie and Bert books * Rumors: Are Bert and Ernie named after characters from It's a Wonderful Life? * Rumors: Ernie and Bert's Relationship * Rumors: Is Ernie dead? Bert Bert is Ernie's best friend and roommate on Sesame Street. The pair share the basement apartment at 123 Sesame Street. In contrast to the practical-joking, extroverted Ernie, Bert is serious, studious, and tries to make sense of his friend's actions. His own passions include reading Boring Stories, collecting paper clips and bottle caps (especially the rare Figgy Fizz), consuming oatmeal, and studying pigeons. While Ernie's best companion outside of Bert is Rubber Duckie, Bert has his pet pigeon, Bernice. True to his detail-oriented, organized mind, Bert is president of the National Association of W Lovers. Unfortunately for Bert, his nose has come off of his face on a number of occasions. He has a distinctive, bleating laugh. * While Ernie has appeared in many of scenes without Bert, Bert has not been seen without Ernie quite so often. Notable exceptions include the songs "Doin' the Pigeon," "The Subway," "Bert's Blanket," and "Stick Out Your Hand and Say Hello" with Rick Moranis, as well as occasional Muppet/Kidscenes, such as discussing emotions with John John. Some of Bert's memorable moments include riding with Ernie in a plane in Follow That Bird, and interrupting The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland whenever it looked like the movie was becoming unsettling. Bert's extended family includes his identical twin brother salesman Bart, infant nephew Brad, and several unseen relatives, including his Aunt Matilda, Uncle Bart (who gave Bert his first paper clip), and great-great-grandfather Mountain Mike. The album Sesame Street Sing-Along! also refers to Bert's Uncle Louie, who lives on a farm. Bert and Ernie were the only Muppets to appear in the Sesame Street Pilot Episodes, and they also hosted This Way to Sesame Street, a special sneak preview special promoting Sesame Street. Play With Me Sesame Bert was one of the hosts of Play with Me Sesame. On that show, he often played games on a computer, such as "Pigeon Patterns" and "Perfect Pairs" (the latter of which involved matching socks). He also showcased "oatmeal art" from kids. Specials In Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, Bert decided to give Ernie a soap dish for Christmas so that his Rubber Duckie would stop falling into the bottom of the bathtub. However, as he had no money, he made a trade at Hooper's Store, where he traded his paper clips for a soap dish. At the same time, Ernie decided to give Bert a cigar box to put his paper clips in and traded his Rubber Duckie in order to get one. However, Mr. Hooper could see that neither of them was happy with trading their things, so he gave them their things back on Christmas Eve. In The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years, Bert and Ernie introduced clips from Sesame Street. In A Muppet Family Christmas, Ernie narrated a Christmas pageant, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and got Bert to play Mama. They also conversed with Doc. In Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting, Bert and Ernie got a new video camera. Bert initially wanted to use the camera to make some pigeon videos, but Ernie wanted to use it to make some Sesame Street videos (Bert wonders, "Who wants to see Sesame Street on TV? We can look at it outside our window every day!"). However, Bert eventually liked the idea and directed the footage. Bert served as director in Elmopalooza. Bert made an appearance in Elmo's World in The Street We Live On, wondering how he could get out of Elmo's World. Partial Discography ** Havin' Fun with Ernie & Bert (1972) ** Bert's Blockbusters (1974) ** Bert and Ernie Sing Along (1975) ** At Home with Ernie and Bert (1979) ** Bert & Ernie: Side By Side (1981) ** The Best of Bert (1983) ** Bert and Ernie's Greatest Hits (1996) Performing Bert Bert is a Hand-Rod Muppet, a puppet which is controlled by both hands. The puppeteer's dominant hand goes into Bert's head, operating his mouth, and at times, facial features. The puppeteer's less dominant hand controls the "arm rods", thin rods connected to Bert's hands. Casting history ** Frank Oz - 1969 to 1997 (and occasionally until 2006) ** Eric Jacobson - 1997 to present Notes ** Bert made special appearances in two Muppet Show''episodes: episode 102, (where he sang "Some Enchanted Evening"), and episode 518. ** "I remember in the very beginning, we first built these characters and then we were trying to decide who should do which", said Jim Henson in the 1984 documentary, ''Henson's Place. "I remember trying Bert and Frank tried Ernie for a while, and then we settled on the present arrangement. I can't imagine doing Bert now because Bert has become so much of a part of Frank ...In the beginning [of Sesame Street], Frank didn't like Bert. He felt Bert was too dull. But then after a while, he realized that Bert's dullness was really a lot of fun, and he got into this dullness thing and turned it into this wonderful personality." Frank Oz said in the same program, "Bert is a very boring facet of myself... I don't think I would latch onto that one character as being me." ** For Sesamstrasse's 30th anniversary in 2003, Ernie and Bert appeared on a regular episode, as well as on the show's 30th anniversary TV special. Since 2006, the two are also residents on the German co-production and appear regularly in newly produced local segments. ** For the 2005-2006 season, Sesamstraat moved into new scenery. The scenery was introduced with a TV special. Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster and Elmo flew over to Holland for this special occasion. It was the first time the American characters visited the Dutch street. ** Bert has 368 bottle caps in his collection.1 ** According to Episode 2791, Bert was Mr. Handford's first customer during his tenure of owning and operating Hooper's Store. He bought some paperclips, providing Handford with his first self-earned dollar, which he later had framed to hang in the store. ** In an interview in Oprah: Where Are They Now?, Bert admits his guilty pleasure is "Venetian blinds." Songs *: See also: Ernie and Bert songs Bert's signature song is "Doin' the Pigeon." In one song he explains that his favorite number is 6, compared to Ernie's number 8,243,721. He has also sung "Keep the Park Clean for the Pigeons," "I Gotta Be Clean," "La, La, La," "I Wish I Had a Friend to Play with Me," "Oatmeal Box" and other songs. Category:Original characters